Teen charged with stealing a car and driving drunk

LOCKPORT – A teen joy riding in a stolen vehicle will face felony drunken driving charges under Leandra’s Law after the 16-year-old City of Tonawanda driver was found to be driving drunk with a 14-year-old passenger in the car, according to Niagara County deputies.

The boy was stopped just after 5 a.m. Sunday in the 5800 block of South Transit Road in a car that had been reported stolen earlier that morning to Town of Tonawanda police.

The driver did not initially stop when Lockport Police tried to stop him on South Transit Road, allegedly ignoring flashing lights, passing red lights and changing lanes unsafely. Niagara County sheriff’s deputies and Lockport Police stopped him in a parking lot and deputies said he appeared to be intoxicated. An empty beer can, which still was cold, was found in the vehicle, deputies reported.

The teen was charged with three counts of DWI, including aggravated DWI under Leandra’s Law for having a passenger under 16 in the vehicle. He was also charged with several traffic violations, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property.

He was held on $750 bail and a return court date was set for tomorrow in the Town of Lockport.